I think the element that I like most about the story is the twist-factor! The story is full of twists, and there is a big one right at the end, which, so far, has surprised a lot of readers, and I love hearing their reactions to it! And of course, there is Lailah herself… I can’t really answer this question without mentioning the Main Character! I really enjoyed writing Lailah, because she is the embodiment of a walking contradiction, which stems from her undiscovered nature. She is a character that is full of inner conflict, and when she gets thrust into ‘the chaos’ she finds herself at the epicentre of a lot of external conflict too, so all round she was really interesting to explore and to write.
How long did you work on the book?
It took me around 18months to write the book, in my spare time.
What’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc?
I am a creature of habit, and I have a fairly set routine before I sit down to write! The first thing I do is boil the kettle (I’m English it’s what we do!) while the tea is brewing in the pot, I put on my noise cancelling headphones and listen to a range of songs. For example, if I know that I am about to write an action sequence, I tend to listen to the ‘Rocky Soundtrack’—songs such as ‘No Easy Way Out’ and ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ tend to end up on repeat. And yes, I do bounce around the kitchen while fist pumping thin air! I then go to my writing room, which is essentially the spare bedroom in my flat, which I have turned into my work space, and I pick a jar of sweets from my desk draw (I need these a few hours in!). I then switch on my Mac, and begin.
What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?
I have three, one-liners that I live by:
About writing: Write what you know, and write what you love.
About your story: If you have a story to tell, don’t stop until you’ve told it.
About self-doubt, and those pesky inner demons: You only fail if you never try!
What are you working on now?
Right now I am revising the second book in The Styclar Saga, entitled GABRIEL ready to hand into my wonderful Editor in October, and then we will move onto the editing stages. Once that’s done, it’s onto the final book in the Saga.
Giveaway ends 10/12/2014 at midnight EST.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Lailah
by Nikki Kelly
Hardcover
Feiwel & Friends
Released 10/7/2014
Over one million Wattpad readers have made Lailah a sensation!
The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.
On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely Allie – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.
In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?
Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NIKKI KELLY was born and raised only minutes away from the chocolately scent of Cadbury World in Birmingham, England. Lailah was first launched to wattpad, an online readers and writers community. Within six months, the novel had over one million reads. Lailah is Nikki’s debut novel, and the first book in The Styclar Saga. She lives in London with her husband and their dogs, Alfie (a pug) and Goose (a Chihuahua).
